Decisions
by liLIAnDM
Summary: Set during - and after - the episode "Zero". Carly's friendship with Mike puts Connie on the edge. AU.


"Scheduling issues?"Jack's voice said in an ambiguous tone that made alarming bells ring in Connie's head. She looked into the room where Mike and Carly were talking and asked herself why did she care so much about it.

* * *

They were just outside the judge's room, the defense lawyer was just walking off to the elevator when she felt that nagging feeling in the back of her brain. She waited a second before succumbing to the curiosity. She turned slowly toward Mike, "What?" he asked.

"So you and the clerk, you two are...?" she left the sentence hanging folding her arms on her chest and looking at him like she was ready to detect a lie. She watched Mike's expression change from neutral to flustered and felt like slapping him.

"Friends" he concluded looking down and gesticulating. Usually she find that quite endearing but now she found him just annoying.

"Friends? So we don't have a conflict of interest problem, do we?" she asked with a smirk and she could feel the high pitch of her own voice. She watched Mike's expression change once again a little grin.

"No, and we don't have a jealousy problem, do we?" he asked in a lower voice with more smugness that he had any right of.

She almost scoffed at his assumption "I was still in preschool when you started to work here; remember?" she teased hi, knowing to touch a sore chord for him. She found him attractive,whitening hair or not but lately her attraction toward him bordered on ridiculous. She decided she had made enough fool of herself so she walked away with him calling to her back, clearly annoyed "I was talking about Estelle Addams, not me"

* * *

The day after they spent all morning talking about the admissibility of the ball that Lupo and Bernard took from the defendant's daughters. She left Mike in the judge office, probably he wanted to chat a little more with his friend Carly. She rolled her eyes to herself, she felt like a school girl having fit of jealousy over a guy. It was ridiculous. In the end the judge changed his opinion, admitting the ball as an evidence.

It was not after a couple of minutes that she felt more than see Mike's shadows coming next to her desk. He seemed troubled but she couldn't stop herself "Did you stay behind to hash things out with your friend?" she asked in a sarcastic tone before concentrating back on the computer screen in front of her.

"I don't think that's what this is about" he said clearly uncomfortable, dismissing her comment (not something he would do these days) so she knew he had something serious to say. And she was riight. When he explained his theory about the judge's mental state, with she kind of agreed with him. The draw on the paper he gave her certainly seemed a bit strange. "I want to talk with the judge without Carly". He looked at her for a moment with a thoughtful expression, almost like expecting her to refuse, before asking "What are you doing for lunch?"

* * *

So here they were, sitting on the high stool of one of their favorite restaurant, The Odeon (what a coincidence), spying on the judge and his clerk.

Mike was sitting close to her, having an eye on the dining room when she decided to break the silence. She was giving him kind of a cold shoulder and maybe it was time to be an adult about it.

"Oh, how I wish I hadn't skip that course on the law school. You know, the one about spying a judge?" she said, sipping casually on her drink.

His eyes moved on her "You're doing great" he simply said. "Look Connie... I swear, there's nothing going on between me and Carly." he said looking into her brown eyes.

She could see he was sincere but she couldn't stop " She seems to think differently... and you don't have to explain it to me, Mike" she added looking once again into her drink.

"But I kind of have to... and I want to" he said taking the drink from her and resting it on the counter.

"No, you don't", she said in a voice that put an end to every conversation. A moment after they saw with the corner of their eyes Carly getting up from the judge table, time to act. "Lock her in a stall, if you have to" he said quickly moving to sit with the judge. She smiled tightly at him, almost giving it a go just for the fun of it, and followed the woman. 

* * *

Jack left an hour ago. He teased them a little before dismissing them. Mike was currently at his desk, tie still hanging from the back of his shirt, nursing a glass of whiskey while she was sorting through the files they would need for the new trial.

"She came to the office" Mike's voice interrupted the silence. Her back stiffened, Carly went to their office? Her and Mike's office? This office. He should have seen the mood changing and quickly continued "I accused her of manipulating the judge because of us and she..."

"What?" she was unable to shut up, her voice seemed rough to her own ears. She wanted to know what the other woman said but she was afraid she wouldn't like it. She almost envied the woman, she knew what she wanted and wasn't scared of the consequences.

Mike expression was stern "She said she's attracted to me" she could see him looking for a reaction but she gave nothing away. She was a lawyer too, she knew how to put on a poker face. He almost seemed sad when he went on "But she said she wasn't manipulating the trial".

Connie didn't say anything for a few seconds and watched Mike play with the drink. "Well... I can't blame her" she said in a whisper and she saw Mike's head snap towards her, she wondered if he didn't tear some muscle with the force of the movement. He opened and closed his mouth for a couple of times trying to formulate a sentence but nothing came out. She blushed furiously but felt proud of herself. She was tired of hiding, it was time to come clear with herself and him. "I am sorry, I shouldn't have said it" she said, backpedaling quickly.

"No... Please..." Mike stood up and started pacing behind his desk, hands in his pockets as always. He seemed deep in thought so she continued her writing. She blurted that comment without thinking, she was fighting this attraction for months and sometimes, when she was tired and stressed, she liked to think how things would be with Mike. Sure they often argued but that was work. She wondered how would it be to come home with him every night, to enjoy a candlelight dinner, to wake up next to him. A hand on her shoulder interrupted her musing. She almost jumped from her chair-"I am sorry"he said in a low voice but with a little smile on his face.

"I was just thinking ,it's not your fault" she said smiling back and getting up to place a folder on his desk.

"I was talking about Carly" he explained notmoving from his spot.

She turned to him "I already said it, Mike, you don't have to be sorry" she said sitting on the edge of his desk trying to put some distance between the two of them. The only lights in the room were the ones on their desk and it didn't help at all. It was so intimate she felt her heart start to race for some reason.

"But I..." he run an hand through his short hair and for a moment she thought how she would like to do the same. "Look" he started again making few steps toward her."I didn't do anything to lead her on. We talked a few times outside the court or at the bar and that was all. We never..." he gesticulated with his hand with wide eyes

She almost took a relieved breath but covered quickly "Mike...why are you telling me this?" she asked, almost sounding resigned.

"Because you need to know... I am not attracted to HER" he said, stressing the last word looking into her eyes coming to a stop just a few centimeters from her.

She looked up into his and saw a deep desire. His cheeks were slightly pink and she understood that he didn't want to risk too much saying something that would upset her so he decided for a half truth. The subtle message was clear to her with the way he was looking at her. She felt her temperature rise with his heated glance. It was the point of no return. They could continue like this, as colleague attracted to each other making jealousy scenes now and then or they could be more. It seemed clear that the matter was in her own hands. She knew he was giving her an exit, starting a relation with him meant the whispers of the lawyers and her reputation and he respected her way too much to put her in that position.

He was looking through the windows and almost jumped away when he felt her hands on his chest. She looked at it like it was not hers, she looked at it while it caressed the skin of his chest, barely bared by the shirt neck left open. It was soft and his chest started to heave faster with each breath. Slowly she looked up in his clear eyes. "Well, I am not attracted to her either" she joked and she watched how a slow smile spread on his face, clearly catching on with her banter. He risked placing a hand on the side of her face, looking into her eyes while caressing her cheek. He lifted a brow in a silent question after giving her a few minutes to think about her choice but she was sure and she just nodded slightly. A moment after his lips were gently caressing hers.


End file.
